Fire-kindler



(No Model.) R. C. A, JONES.

FIRE KINDLER.

No. 656,352 Patented Mar. 17, 1896.

fleeg 611111511138.

ANDREW BIRMMM. IPHUXQUTHQWASNINGYUN. 1C:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

REESE C. A. JONES, OF HILLSBOROUGH, ILLINOIS.

FIRE-KINDLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,352, dated March17, 1896.

Application filed July 13, 1894. Serial No. 517,442. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, REEsE G. A. JONES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hillsborough, in the county of Montgomery and State ofIllinois, have invented a new and useful Fire-Kindler, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to fire-kindlers, and particularly to that class inwhich an absorbent core is inclosed within a cage or case adapted to becontracted to compress the core as the latter is reduced bydisintegration caused by heat, abrasion, &c., and the object in view isto provide an improved construction wherein the container of theabsorbent core may be contracted both laterally and axially orlongitudinally to provide for preventing looseness in either direction,and, furthermore, to provide means whereby only the edges of a strip orribbon of absorbent material are exposed for contact with other objects,said edges being exposed in order to facilitate absorption when the headof the kindler is immersed in an inflammable liquid.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims. 1

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a kindler constructedin accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of thesame. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the foraminous shield.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

The head 1 of the fire-kindler consists of a core 2 of absorbentmaterial inclosed circumferentially by a rolled cylindrical shield 3 offoraminous material, said shield being held at the proper adjustmenttoexert the desired lateral pressure upon the core by means of acontractible cage 4. In the construction illustrated this core consistsof a tight roll of a strip or ribbon of absorbent material, such asasbestos, said strip or ribbon being continuous and being rolled in sucha manner as to form a solid center or axis and the roll being continueduntil the core is of the desired size. Around the roll thus formed isarranged a foraminous shield, preferably constructed of a strip of sheetmetal of less width than the strip or ribbon of absorbent material andhaving free overlapping extremities, which are adapted to slide one overthe other to provide for the lateral contraction of the shield. Thus theexterior side or the surface of the core is covered approximatelythroughout by a shield, which protects said surface from abrasion bycontact with other objects without preventing the free volatilization ofthe inflammable liquid with which the core is saturated. The ends of thecore, which are formed by the lateral edges of the strip or ribbon ofabsorbent material, are exposed in the first place to facilitate theabsorption of the inflammable liquid by the core, inasmuch as it isobvious that the liquid will be absorbed through capillary attractionmore readily in the direction or in the planes of the layers of thematerial than across said layers, and, in the second place, in order toallow axial or longitudinal contraction of the cage 4, irrespective ofthe foraminous shield, in order to prevent longitudinal vibration of thecore in the shield, as will be more fully understood hereinafter.

The cage 4 consists of a plurality of loops 5 arranged in intersectingplanes disposed parallel with and embracing the axis of the core. In theconstruction illustrated, two of these intersecting loops are employed,the same being arranged in perpendicular planes and the sides or legs ofthe loops (there being four of said sides or legs) being twistedtogether, as shown at 6, to form a handle which terminates in a ring 7.The opposite sides of the loops 5 bear against the outer surface of thecylindrical foraminous shield, and it is clear that by contracting theloops laterally said shield may be correspondingly contracted tocompress the core in a plane perpendicular to its axis. It is obvious,furthermore, that by reason of the extension or projection of the endsof the core beyond the corresponding ends of the'cylindrical shield, theends of said loops bear, respectively, upon the ends of the core,whereby, when the length of the core is reduced by disintegration causedby abrasion or otherwise, the longitudinal contraction of the loops maybe accomplished without interferenee or contact with the ends of thecylinder formed by the shield.

It is obvious that by twisting the handle the length of the twistedportion 6 may be extended and the exposed portions of the sides of theloops 5 will be correspondingly taken up, thus contracting said loops 5.This contraction operates not only laterally but axially upon the headof the fire-kindler, thus contracting the foraminous shield laterally bycausing a greater overlapping of the ends thereof, and at the same timepressing upon the extremities of the core to prevent longitudinalvibration of the core in the shield. Thus the shield is contraetiblelaterally by means of the cage and the cage is contractible axially, andby having a bearin g upon the opposite ends of the core secures thelatter against axial movement.

It will be seen, furthermore, that the wires of which the cage andhandle are constructed are doubled upon themselves at their centers toform the loops 5 with the sides or legs of the loops twisted together,as at (5, and hence the loops are continuous with no loose extremitiesof the wires, said loose ends being disposed solely at the ring 7. Hencethe extremities of the wires employed in connection with thefire-kindler are not exposed to the intense heat produced at the pointof ignition, and, therefore, the danger of fusion of the wire is reducedto the minimum.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1.. A fire-kindler havinga non-combustible absorbent core, a cylindrical laterally-contractibleforam inous shield encircling the core and terminating short of the endsof the core, a laterally and axially contractible cage inelosing thecore and shield and bearing against the outer surface of said shield andthe extremities of the core, and a handle integral with said cage andadapted to be twisted to contract the cage axially and laterally,substantially as specified.

2. A fire-kindler having a core constructed of a continuous strip orribbon of non-combustible absorbent material, a cylindrical foraminousshield consisting of a metal strip extending around the core and havingits extremities overlapped, the strip forming the shield being of lesswidth than the strip or ribbon of absorbent material, and a cageconstructed of wire loops arranged in intersecting planes embracing theaxis of the core and having their sides or legs twisted together to forma handle 6 in alignment with the axis of the core, said loops bearingagainst the outer surface of the cylindrical shield and against theprojecting extremities of the core, sulr stantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

REESE O. A. JONES. Witnesses:

EDWARD MARCUS STUBBLEFIEL'D, MARIoN Cnocxn'r'r MoWILLIAMs.

